Glucose-utilizing tumor tissues

Glucose-utilizing tumor tissues refers to malignant cells that exhibit the Warburg effect, characterized by an increased rate of glucose uptake and lactic acid fermentation even in the presence of oxygen (Vander Heiden et al., Science, 2009). This metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, driven by the overexpression of glucose transporters, primarily GLUT1, and glycolytic enzymes like hexokinase 2 (Ganapathy-Kanniappan & Geschwind, Mol Cancer, 2013). While not a single molecular target, these tissues are the primary focus of diagnostic imaging using radiolabeled glucose analogs like Fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) (Gambhir, Nat Rev Cancer, 2002). Therapeutic strategies targeting these tissues aim to inhibit glucose transport or key enzymatic steps in glycolysis to induce metabolic stress and cell death (Abdel-Wahab et al., Cancer Metastasis Rev, 2019). However, the high glucose demand of healthy organs like the brain and heart presents significant safety challenges for systemic therapeutic interventions (Hay, Nat Rev Cancer, 2016). Consequently, while the phenotype is a clear marker of malignancy, drug development focuses on specific proteins within these tissues rather than the tissue itself.

Other names

Warburg-effect tumorsGlycolytic tumorsFDG-avid tumorsHigh glucose-consuming tumors

Diagnostic imaging via preferential uptake of glucose analogs or therapeutic starvation of tumor cells through the inhibition of glucose transporters and glycolytic enzymes.